SWNOVELXO Chapter 8
Chapter 8: The Room Is Damp, So Let’s Burn It Dry:
Su Chen frowned. He had almost forgotten that ever since he came to the Su family, he had been living in this narrow, dark, and damp room.
This small room was originally a storage room for the housekeeper.
It had no ventilation, was dimly lit, and remained perpetually humid.
In his previous life, even though Su Chen found the room uncomfortable, he never fought for a better one because he didn’t want to cause trouble for the Su family.
The Su family had no problem with this arrangement and let him stay in this cramped space without a second thought.
He lived there until he eventually died—right on that small, cold bed.
But now, Su Chen was different.
If someone made his life difficult, he would make sure they suffered just as much.
The room was damp?
Easy fix. Just burn something and dry it out.
Without hesitation, Su Chen walked out to the villa’s garden, plucked a few blooming roses, and carried them back to his room.
He even took the extra step of finding a dust mask to wear.
Once everything was ready, he started burning the rose branches to dry out the room.
As the flames spread along the branches, thick white smoke began to rise, filling the entire room before slowly seeping out, gradually engulfing the entire first floor.
The Su family’s villa was a three-story mansion.
The second floor was where the family members lived.
The third floor housed function rooms like a study, a music room, and other leisure spaces.
The first floor contained the living room, kitchen, and the servants’ quarters.
Before Su Chen arrived, his current room had belonged to the housekeeper, Tao Ma, and was used as a storage space.
When Su Chen returned to the Su family, they simply cleared out the tools and threw in a single bed, turning it into his bedroom.
The first person to notice the spreading smoke was Tao Ma, who was resting in her room on the first floor.
She had just finished all her chores and was preparing to sleep when she noticed the increasing amount of white smoke filling her room.
Tao Ma jolted upright in shock.
Was the villa on fire?!
That shouldn’t be possible!
She had double-checked everything after cooking—making sure the gas and electrical appliances were all turned off.
How could there be a fire?!
Panic surged through her.
If the villa really caught fire and suffered damage, she would definitely lose her job.
Coughing from the thickening smoke, Tao Ma rushed out of her room to find the source of the fire.
She had to put it out before it caused any damage—otherwise, her job would be at risk.
She quickly checked the kitchen.
No fire.
Then she checked the living room.
Still nothing.
Now, she was completely confused.
The places most likely to catch fire were fine…
Then where was the smoke coming from?!
Growing increasingly anxious, she continued searching—checking the dining room and even the staircase area.
Nothing.
By now, her mind was spinning.
If the fire didn’t start in any of these places, then where did all this smoke come from?!
She paced around the first floor, struggling to locate the source.
Then, suddenly—
She froze.
Had she just seen flames flickering?!
She took a step back, then another.
Sure enough, flames appeared in her sight again.
Her heart leaped with joy.
Finally, she had found it!
But when she took a closer look…
The fire was coming from Young Master Chen’s room—the very room he had been assigned when he returned from the orphanage two years ago.
Wait…
Was Young Master Chen burning something?!
This wasn’t an accidental fire—it was intentional!
Tao Ma rubbed her eyes and hurried over, stopping just outside the room.
What she saw left her utterly stunned.
Young Master Chen was sitting calmly in front of the burning branches, occasionally poking them to ensure the flames burned evenly.
It was clear now.
This wasn’t an accident—he was deliberately setting the fire!
White smoke billowed from the burning branches, spreading through the villa like a creeping fog.
What on earth was he doing?!
Didn’t he realize how much smoke was filling the house?!
Young Master Chen already had a tough time in the Su family.
His parents disliked him.
His sisters didn’t care about him.
His younger brother was distant.
And now, if they found out he was responsible for this smoke, he would suffer even more.
Tao Ma panicked and rushed forward to stop him.
“Young Master Chen, what are you doing?!”
“You’re a grown man! Why are you playing with fire?!”
“If you must play with fire, fine, but look at all this smoke! It’s covering the whole villa!”
“When Mr. Su, Mrs. Su, and the others get choked by this, they’re going to scold you again!”
“Young Master Chen, listen to me—put out the fire before they notice!”
Not waiting for Su Chen’s response, Tao Ma reached out, intending to grab the burning branches and smother the flames.
She didn’t even think to ask for his opinion.
After all, she had been in the Su household long enough to understand one thing—
The Su family didn’t truly treat Young Master Chen as their own.
Since the day he returned, it had been clear that he was an outsider.
As for the reasons, Tao Ma didn’t know.
All she knew was that Young Master Chen was different from the rest of the family.
His living conditions were even worse than hers.
She occasionally felt sorry for him, but at times, she also saw him as an equal—a servant, just like her.
In fact, sometimes his treatment was even worse than hers.
That was why, from time to time, she had made him help her with chores.
And right now, she naturally assumed that he would have no objections to her taking charge.
After all, she was doing it for his own good.
Reaching out, she attempted to snatch the burning branches—
But her hand stopped mid-air.
Because Su Chen had grabbed her wrist, holding it firmly in place.
She tried to pull free, but he didn’t let go.
Frowning, she looked up at him, clearly displeased.
“Young Master Chen, what are you doing?!”
“Let go of my hand so I can put out the fire!”
“If we don’t, Mr. Su and the others will be furious when they find out!”
“I’m doing this for your own good!”
“If we don’t put it out now, you’re going to get scolded again!”
Su Chen remained calm as he spoke.
“Tao Ma, this fire cannot be put out.”
Tao Ma’s brows furrowed in frustration.
Young Master Chen was truly being unreasonable!
“Why?!”
“Why can’t we put it out?!”
“Look at how much smoke there is! People are going to choke on it!”
“Why do you insist on keeping it burning?!”
Her voice was filled with impatience and irritation.
Su Chen chuckled.
In his past life, he had been so pathetic.
Even the servants had dared to scold him.
Look at her now—
Would Tao Ma ever dare to speak like this to Su Lili, Su Qiqi, or Su Mu?